Alongside the Moon
by dinoCOR
Summary: Justin and Alex create a night-time routine that invovles sleeping in Justin's room. Will they develop feelings for each other as they share secrets alongside the moon?
1. Chapter 1

**Alex's POV**

After school today I used magic to get home instead of taking the bus. That thing takes so long. And besides, I wanted some time to myself. It would be at least a half an hour before Justin and Max got home, and Mom and Dad were downstairs working.

I hurried to my room and grabbed the new Vogue from under my bed. I flipped through the pages looking at the dresses and heels and bags. I could feel my head turning into a wonderland of storefronts and dressing rooms.

I know it seems shallow that I'm a closeted magazine-reader, but it's not the way it seems.

I don't like magazines because I wish I was just like Gisele or Georgia May Jagger. It's not like that.

I read magazines because dresses make me happy.

I like the shapes and patterns and I like how real designers treat their clothes like real pieces of art.

Patricia Field isn't thinking about who would ever wear her leggings, she makes them for the sake of art.

Coco Chanel (R.I.P.) didn't make her frocks because she thought people would love them, she made them for the sake of art. She made skinny girls feel beautiful when curvy was in, and the broadening of the term beautiful in art is something I can really respect.

I can see myself being the next Brian Litchtenberg when I get older. I can only see myself making clothes.

I heard a knock at my door and quickly put the magazine back under my bed. "What do you want?"

The door opened. Justin... _great_. "Why weren't you on the bus today?"

"Magic," I replied.

"Alex, you can't do that. What if someone saw?" God, he is so stubborn.

I sighed. "No one saw, Justin."

"How do you know, Alex? You don't know!"

"Look, Justin... I just had a really bad day, okay?"

He sat down on my bed next to me. "Do you... want to talk about it?"

He really is a good brother. He really does care. But there's no way I can tell him that all day I was thinking about Mason.

I couldn't tell him for the same reason he couldn't know about the magazines.

He thinks I'm tough. And I guess I like that he thinks that. He thinks I'm different than other girls. I like that he thinks I'm special.

I don't know why, but I do.

The same way I like that he plays with action figures and is sometimes scared of Harper. I like that he's special.

His face fell a little bit. "I guess you don't want to talk about it." He got up and started towards the door. "I'm here if you need me."

"Justin." I reached out and grabbed his arm. He turned around and looked at me. "Thanks," I smiled.

He nodded and left.

* * *

That night, I fell asleep quickly. I remember, that night I had the strangest dream...

"_Justin, I love you." Why was I saying that?!_

"_You don't know how long I've been waiting to hear that, Alex." Why was he saying that?!_

_My lips pulled apart to reveal a gleaming white smile. Why was I so happy?!_

_He leaned in and slowly started to lift up my shirt. Why was my shirt coming off?!_

…

When I woke up in the middle of the night, panting, I ran to the first safe place I could think of: Justin's room.

I knocked on the door with our secret knock: seven quick raps on the door. I hoped he was still awake.

When he opened the door, I felt overwhelmed with happiness.

"What's wrong?" He asked, alarmed, as he closed the door.

"I just had a bad dream, that's all."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

He didn't look surprised when I shook my head.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" I asked.

He looked confused. "You want to sleep with me?"

I blushed. "I mean, can I sleep here tonight?"

He blushed with me. "Oh! Yeah, of course!"

I climbed under his covers. I frowned when I saw him begin to lie down on the floor.

"No, you don't have to do that, Justin. I wouldn't mind if you slept in your bed with me."

He hesitated a bit, but eventually climbed under his sheets beside me.

I hugged his torso and rested my head against his chest before I fell into a deep sleep, unaware that the dream I had just had was almost identical to the dreams Justin had been having for years.

* * *

**So this is my first fanfiction! I'm sorry if it stinks. I hope it doesn't though. :)**

**Oh, and I don't think they take the bus on the show... Whoops!**

**Anyway, reviews make me happier than Vogue! 3**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys! Thank you for putting this and me on alert and reviewing! It really means a lot. I didn't think anyone would read it!**

**Sorry if you've already read this, but justmediya had a really good eye and told me that I had to change cupcake girl's name because Lucy Hale is a real person.**

**Anyway, thank you so much (again) for reading my story. Whenever I see that someone reviewed or favorited/alerted me or my stories, I literally smile for like, an hour.**

**I'm thinking that maybe I'll even start a new one along with this. Maybe SWAC. I don't know, tell me what you think! Anywhooo, I love you all and I'm really really really really sorry if you've already read this.**Thankfully, Alex sleeping in my room became a routine.

* * *

I had no idea why she was so scarred, but I was scarred too. I needed her as much as she needed me.

Most days, when we couldn't get to bed right away, we talked. Never about anything important, but still, it made me feel like our relationship was becoming stronger.

After a few days in our sleeping arrangement, Alex told me that Reese's Cups reminded her of Mason. It wasn't a major secret or anything, but she trusted me with more than a secret. She trusted me with her feelings.

And I mean, not that I don't have any friends who like Reese's cups, but for the most part I've come to the conclusion that those who reserve a spot for Reese's as their _favorite_ candy are assholes. Notice how peanut butter or chocolate alone is like, whatever. It's all about the peanut butter being _inside_ the chocolate. They just want something _inside_ of them. That's why I'm more of an Ice-Pop kind of guy.

When I told Alex my theory, she laughed and said she thought I was over-analyzing it. I suppose she was right.

I thought maybe with Alex so close to me, the dreams would stop. They just grew more and more vivid. But they were all the same now. She'd come into my room with just a twinkle in her eye and a bathrobe on and ask to sleep with me. I'd nod and pull down the covers. She would giggle and tell me that's not what she meant. I would hesitantly walk towards her while she untied her robe, leaving her standing there in her own nakedness. And then I would have the best night of my life.

The funny thing about it is that whenever she told me a secret, she would become even more beautiful in my dream.

She'd been sleeping in my room for about a week when I told her about Juliet.

"Alex? Are you still awake?" I had said.

"Mmm."

"Can I tell you something?"

She sat up and looked at me, patience and kindness in her eyes.

"Juliet is dead." My voice broke. Saying it out loud made it seem so real.

Alex reached for my hand, calming me. She nodded for me to continue.

"It's all my fault."

Alex's eyes became alarmed. "Justin, don't blame yourself. That's not fair." Had her voice always been that sweet?

"If I had just made her stop fighting with Mason, both of them would be here."

Alex looked down, hesitating.

"What, Alex?"

"I know it's selfish, but I'm glad neither of us stopped them from fighting." She looked down again.

I tilted her head up, trying to read her eyes.

"If we were still with them, I wouldn't be here, sitting in your room right now," she said.

I smiled a bit. "I guess that's true."

"Can I tell you a secret?" She asked.

"Of course," I replied.

"I hide magazines under my bed," she said.

Um... what the hell? That was random...

"Why do you hide them?"

"They're fashion magazines," she said as if that should be explanation enough. When I just stared at her blankly, she continued. "Lots of girls read fashion magazines. I wanted you to think I was different. I wanted you to think I was special." Rivers of tears covered her face. Alex never cried.

I hugged her and stroked her hair as she drifted off to sleep. I smiled as the worried look left her face and was replaced by a smile as she drifted into her dream.

Careful not to wake her, I slowly bent down and kissed her cheek before I fell asleep.

Alex had never been so beautiful.

**Alex's POV**

The next morning, I woke up to realize that I had dreamed about Justin. Again. And I had liked it. Again.

As soon as his alarm clock rang, I rolled out of bed, and into my room to take a shower and get dressed. I couldn't lie in bed like I would have in my room because if anyone saw me in Justin's bed, they'd freak.

On the way to the bathroom, I made sure to mess up the sheets on my bed so it looked like I slept in it.

When I was done showering, I got dressed and went downstairs. I looked at the clock on the stove. 7:03. I was never even awake at 7:03.

"Wow, honey. You're already dressed!" My mom was so impressed. This needed to stop. I was all about low expectations. "You beat your brother today!"

I could feel my heart sink just a little bit. Justin wasn't downstairs yet.

I sighed and flipped on the TV. I stared blankly at whatever was on, thinking about how nice Justin had been last night.

"Oh, Spongebob. Wow. Nice choice." I turned around to see Justin, a teasing smile on his face.

He took the remote as he plopped down next to me and changed the channel to the news.

The news anchor was talking about some girls and these cupcakes they made for charity or something. I looked back at my parents at the table. They were talking about sandwich sales. I turned to Justin, who was riveted by these cupcake girls. "Why were you so nice to me yesterday?"

Justin looked at me. "Because you're my sister." I prayed he didn't see me grimace at the s-word.

* * *

I saw Justin six times in the hallway that day. I guess that's about how much I normally see him, but today I was counting. He smiled at me every time we made eye-contact. And they didn't seem like the kind of this-is-awkward-because-I-just-caught-you-staring-at-me smiles. They seemed genuine. I smiled back. One time I even said hi to him.

At lunch, I sat with Harper, as usual. Justin was sitting three lunch tables away. The back of his head was in perfect view. I wondered if he knew he was being watched.

"And my mom bought the cupcakes, and when I tried one, it was like Heaven exploded in my mouth. If I made a cupcake dress, it could be pink with lace and white cupcakes... Alex, you're not listening to me."

I turned toward Harper. "Of course I am."

"What was I talking about?"

"Clothes," I guessed. That was always a safe guess.

Her eyes narrowed. "Fine, but you've been spacing out all day. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I smiled. "I'm just happy, that's all. I had a good dream last night."

Before Harper could respond, a pretty brunette asked to sit with us.

"Sure!" Harper said. "My name is Harper and this is Alex."

"Hi." The brunette shot me a shy smile. "My name is Miranda. I'm new here."

"I love that name," Harper said. "It reminds me of City Girl Cupcakes. The founder is named Miranda... God, those cupcakes are so good."

The girl giggled. "I _am_ that Miranda."

"Oh my God!" Harper squealed.

And so, I spent the rest of lunch half-listening to Harper and Miranda talk about cupcakes while I watched the back of my brother's head like a pervert.

"Oh! I'm going to be late for English! I've never been late to Ms. Frank's class!" And with that Harper scurried off.

"What class do you have next?" I asked Miranda.

She checked her schedule. "Finance with Dr. Rudnicki."

"Me too. I'll walk with you. Oh, and just to warn you, Dr. Rudnicki has a really heavy Polish accent," I said.

She laughed.

Awkward silence.

"You know, someday I'm going to have to try your cupcakes. Everyone thinks they're awesome," I said, because I couldn't take the silence.

She stopped walking. "You honestly don't get it," she said more to herself than to me.

"Huh?"

"Alex, they're enchanted," she said.

"What?"

"The cupcakes. They're enchanted," she said, nonchalantly.

"There's no such thing as enchanted cupcakes," I laughed nervously.

"Alex, I know you're a wizard. I'm a wizard too."

"How do you... know?"

"This morning. I saw you just... appear. It was magic. You used magic to get to school," she said. "I thought we could be friends... you know, since we are both... different."

I hated to admit it, but Justin was so right about taking the bus.

"Um... we should get to class," I said.

"We have an entrepreneur right in this very room," Dr. Rudnicki was saying, rather Polish-ly. "She is a new student, all the way from Michigan. Please say hello to Miranda Hale."

Miranda smiled as everyone looked at her. Apparently in Michigan it's okay to sell enchanted cupcakes.

She had chosen the seat next to me. Why did she think I liked her?

I tuned out for the rest of class. Dr. Rudnicki never called on me anyway. My thoughts were a blur of enchanted cupcakes and my brother. What exactly did enchanted cupcakes do to the eater? Why exactly was I so obsessed with my brother?

An hour later, the bell rang.

I gathered my things and left the classroom. I could feel Miranda following me.

"Wait, Alex! What class do you have next?" Miranda asked.

"Art," I replied without turning to face her.

"Do you know where AP Calc is?" She asked.

I turned to face her, confused. "That's a senior class."

"I know," she blushed. "I took Pre-Calc this summer."

Ew.

"Oh. Um... you'll be with my brother. It's right down the hall." I pointed. "Room 209."

"Thanks, Alex!" She smiled at me and turned to her next class.

And so, the countdown began until the end of the day. One period left.

I had art and the period flew by.

I used magic to get home. So did Max. Justin was all by himself on the bus. I'm not quite sure why, but that made me feel bad.

* * *

That night, when I went to Justin's room, all he could talk about was Miranda.

"She's great. She's so smart, too. She's taking senior classes... wow. And then, we had the best conversation on the bus. We were talking about her trip to France this summer. She saw all the major landmarks. She said they were even better in person than they were in the books..."

As he went on, I could feel the lump growing in my throat. I wouldn't cry. I cried last night.

It's just... everyone thinks she's so great. Harper... Justin...

She's not even that pretty. And the BCBG sundress she was wearing was last season. And she makes enchanted cupcakes, which I'm pretty sure is against some rule. And all of her teachers already like her, and my best friend thinks she's the coolest, and my brother is falling for her.

Before I knew it, I was sobbing.

Justin stopped talking and just held me until we fell asleep. He knew better by now than to even ask me what was wrong.

Tonight, for the first night in a week, I didn't dream about Justin.

"_Have a cupcake," she was saying. The smile on her face looked more animal-like than human._

"_I don't want your cupcake!" I was crying._

"_Eat it!" She ordered._

_When I took a bite, my horrified expression became a smile. "Miranda, I wish I was just like you."_

"_Oh, Alex. No you don't," she smiled. "You've got a better job now. You're part of my army."_

_Justin appeared behind her and put his arm around her._

_She turned to him and kissed him._

_And even though inside I was breaking down, the smile was plastered on my face. I'm part of her army now._

**I hope that wasn't _too _dramatic. haha. I just don't really like cupcakes. And I had to introduce an evil character. Keep in mind that this is only my second chapter of my first story.**

**Anyway, City Girl Cupcake is a real company. These people that I know run it. I really hope they don't see this. For the record, they're not evil. They're nice. And their cupcakes are yummy. I'm almost positive that they're not enchanted, too.**

**Anyway, tell me if you love it. Tell me if it sucks. Just review, please. **

**Reviews make me happier than Reese's Cups, strange dreams, and enchanted cupcakes.**

**Love, Corliss. :)**


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